The torture president (again)

Is anybody on this planet surprised? Imperial president George W. Bush yesterday vetoed a bill that would prohibit the CIA from using torture (such as waterboarding) on its prisoners.

Bush claims that his torture approval has "a proven track record of keeping America safe." But today's NY Times quotes a statement yesterday from Sen. John Rockefeller: “As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have heard nothing to suggest that information obtained from enhanced interrogation techniques has prevented an imminent terrorist attack,”

The Times also reports that Senate majority leader Harry Reid said Bush "disregarded the advice of military commanders, including Gen. David H. Petraeus, who argued that the military’s interrogation techniques were effective and that the use of any others could create risks for any future American prisoners of war." Reid said Bush "has rejected the Army field manual’s recognition that such horrific tactics elicit unreliable information, put U.S. troops at risk and undermine our counterinsurgency efforts.”

Yet another ton of bricks for the Unitary President's legacy pyramid as the worst president in American history.

(In the meantime, Bush is also brushing aside appeals to try Guantanamo prisoners in civilian courts and is using military tribunals instead.)